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The Spectacle Blog
I’m generally not one to whine about media bias, but there’s an interesting contradiction in this Wisconsin State Journal story about today’s Badger-state recalls.
Republicans recruited candidates to run in Democratic primaries, partially to keep recall election dates consistent, and the reporter makes no bones about calling these candidates “fake.”
Republicans are running a third candidate, Isaac Weix, as a fake or “protest” candidate to ensure that all the races have primaries and that the general elections occur on the same day.
Another fake Democrat, Gladys Huber, is on the ballot in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Fake Democrats are also on the ballot in each of four Senate recalls, forcing primaries in those races.
Yet Governor Scott Walker’s primary challenger, Arthur Kohl-Riggs, receives no such label and is simply called “a Walker opponent and frequent Capitol protester.”
Yeah, that guy — the 23-year-old who’s on leave from his job selling pizza at the Madison Children’s Museum — is totally for real.
View all comments (15) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Kyle Peterson
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/05/08/fake-candidates-in-wisconsin
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JerseyJoe| 5.8.12 @ 8:30PM
That happened in Jersey in the last Gubernatorial race for Gub'ner.
It wasn't bad enough that a moderate RINO named Crispy Creme Christie rabbit punched and stabbed in the back an honest to goodness Conservative candidate named Steve Lonegan, but the two parties conspired to run an alleged independent republican who was a democrat named Chris Doggett who only got around 5% of the vote.
He started strong at 5% and stayed there till it was all over.
Doggett was accorded all sorts of respect through out the election.
This will happen more and more.
Bob S| 5.9.12 @ 1:53AM
Yeah, the media really think the people of Wisconsin are dumb enough not to notice.
The media and their union friends will get their comeuppance when the recall shows nobody buys their crap.
martin j smith| 5.9.12 @ 7:30AM
If you are dealing with the Socialist Media you know its Swiss Cheese. Ignore but record and when needed fire back.
smoogatz| 5.9.12 @ 12:25PM
The difference is that Kohl-Riggs wasn't trying to trick or confuse voters by running against Walker, unlike the fake Democrats running in the state senate primaries. Kohl-Riggs also had the presence of mind to declare Walker the fake Republican--noting that Walker's policies were a far cry from those of the Republicans' progressive past, which was embodied here in Wisconsin by Fighting Bob La Follette. Kohl-Riggs' candidacy was a protest--not an attempt to deceive people.
G Gordon| 5.9.12 @ 12:37PM
Arthur Kohl-Riggs has never been affiliated with the Democratic Party. He ran a real campaign as a progressive Republican, just like Fighting Bob La Follette. He ran as a "Lincoln Republican", and he did not attempt to hoodwink anybody about who he was or what he stood for. The fake Democrats, on the other hand, were self-described imposters. They are all active Republicans and admitted they had no intention of doing anything other than trying to help Republicans by posing as Democrats. They raised no money, issued no statements, made no campaign appearances, and lied under oath when they swore on their nomination papers that they represented the party under whose label they ran.
dairy dave| 5.9.12 @ 12:38PM
No contradiction. Kohl-Riggs had no Democratic Party affiliation. He was a known anti-Walker activist, but took the step to run as a Republican independently of the Democrats, and focused sincerely on pointing out how far Scott Walker's brand of "conservatism" has strayed from the great legacy of La Follette. The "fake" Democrats were mostly or all known Republicans, registered and active, and coordinated their candidacies with the "real" Republican candidates. They ran for no purpose of ideological differentiation or education, but only in the hopes of confusing voters. There is a big difference.
Andrew| 5.9.12 @ 1:05PM
Here's the big difference you guys conveniently forgot to notice:
The 4 fake Dems were GOP operatives recruited and funded by the GOP itself. They even admitted this.
Meanwhile, Arthur Kohl-Riggs independently decided to run, on his own, w/o the endorsement or involvement of the Dem party.
Another BIG difference: Kohl-Riggs ran as a Lincoln Republican. While the fake Dems were just there to prolong and increase election costs, Kohl-Riggs' candidacy was to make a very valid and much-needed point: That today's GOP (as represented by Walker) has moved far, far to the right of where it was in the days of Lincoln, TR, Eisenhower, even Nixon & Reagan.
Got it?
Thus: NO media bias here.
Andrew| 5.9.12 @ 1:09PM
Looks like Smoogatz, G Gordon, and Dairy Dave all made the same point I did. (I opened this page a couple hours ago and left my comment before refreshing)
Slump| 5.9.12 @ 1:41PM
"the 23-year-old who's on leave from his job selling pizza at the Madison Children's Museum -- is totally for real."
Compared to the guy who is currently the subject of an ongoing John Doe investigation resulting in many of his direct employees getting felonies for illegal campaigning meant to help him.
Yeah, that guy totally isn't a joke...
Ben| 5.9.12 @ 1:46PM
... and would've gotten kicked out of college had he not quit beforehand.
Thurston Howell III| 5.9.12 @ 2:55PM
When you find this kind of evidence regarding Arthur Kohl-Riggs, you can legitimately call call him a "Fake". http://www.facebook.com/photo......3&theater;
http://www.facebook.com/photo......3&theater;
Until then, Kohl-Riggs is what he says he is, a progressive Republican like Abraham Lincoln and Robert LaFollette!. Issac Weix has made a second career out of being a FAKE Democrat!
Thurston Howell III| 5.9.12 @ 3:07PM
The shortened links in my previous post don't work: These SHOULD!
http://tinyurl.com/75wgtzr
http://tinyurl.com/7v4p6k9
JerseyJoe| 5.9.12 @ 4:59PM
Boy, are you guys easily hoodwinked, eh?
Have you read his platform?
http://www.iartwi.com/platform.html
Truly a left wing progressive socialist's dream:
"worker's" rights over business owners rights?
Belief in "Global Warming",
Public financing, but no means to enforce it.
Continually refers to our form of government as a "democracy".
Believes that "unions" are the only relationship with business.
Advocates "alternatives" over existing energy sources such as oil and coal.
Belief in the State owning the natural resources rather than Private Sector Free Enterprise.
Access to Healthcare regardless of cost or who is paying for it.
Once again, you have to ask, what does he really stand for?
Big Government pursuing social goals for whose benefit, eh?
JerseyJoe| 5.9.12 @ 5:13PM
One last line from his "platform":
"This is a living and breathing document that will evolve and grow"
Guess which part of the political spectrum says the same thing about the Constitution, eh?
Barbara With| 5.9.12 @ 5:42PM
Jersey Joe can you say JOHN DOE? Please. enough with the "I hate big government" lie. You and your TP "distain" for big gov only comes out when it works for you. Here in WI we have had to put up with Walker and his neocon fascists taking government to new big spendy levels. Not just that they are so big they took over my right to consult with my doctor (now my doctor can commit a felony for advising me of my rights), but they have committing felonies left and right. And let's remember who wrote this article, the mercenary who started the hub bub at the Aerospace museum to make it look like the Occupy people were being violent, which they weren't. Get a life people. Did anyone mention Huber is actually a GOP election worker in her county? Can we say FRAUD?